We’ve got the first spin of the Londoners’ appraisal of consumerism as today’s Neu Pick.

Posted on 17th February 2017

Every weekday, DIY’s
new music know-it-all Neu brings
you one essential new release to get obsessed with. Today’s Neu Pick comes from
Phobophobes.

In this age of imposed austerity, sky-rocketing house prices
and zero-hours contracts, it’s often hard to see how it’s even possible to
afford all the things that society is constantly telling us are classic markers
of a life well-lived. So what’s the solution? Hope for ‘The Never Never’ of
course.

The latest single from London’s Phobophobes is, as frontman
Jamie Taylor explains, “a critique of today’s excessive consumerism. The
repetitive and slogan-esque nature of the track evokes the reductive nature of
advertising”. In a flurry of vintage organs, clashing drums and nagging,
incessant riffs, the band draw a parallel between those treading water
financially today and religious idols, reminding us that “Jesus was a carpenter”,
paying tribute to the difficulties of modern life.

Unfortunately, trying to buy a “new life” on the never never
is a slippery slope, a bottomless pit that’s easy to fall into. Similarly, Jamie’s
vocals and those organ tones plummet into the abyss, descending into
uncertainty and possible oblivion. As such, ‘The Never Never’ is a pretty much
pitch-perfect comment on what it’s like to try and survive in a “buy now, worry later” society.

We’ve got the premiere of ‘The Never Never’ below, and you
can also check out Phobophobes’ upcoming tour dates, including a run as special
guests of LIFE. ‘The Never Never’ is officially released on 24th March via
Ra-Ra Rok Records.